India seeks full member status in SCO

BISHKEK: India today sought full member status of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), saying it was keen to deepen security-related cooperation with the six-nation grouping, particularly its anti-terror mechanism.

Addressing the SCO's Heads of State Summit here, External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid reiterated India's stand that it is ready to play a larger role in SCO as a full member, once the organisation reaches consensus on its expansion.

"It is our conviction that an expanded SCO will be a more effective body to address the numerous security and developmental challenges that our region faces," he said.

India is also keen to deepen its security-related cooperation with the SCO and its Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure ( RATS) in particular, Khurshid said.

"We look forward to the signing of the Model Protocol of Intent in the near future as a demonstration of our willingness and commitment," he said.

India believes "only multilateral efforts and integrated actions can help effectively counter these negative forces, including the related evils of drug trafficking and small arms proliferation", he said.

Referring to India's emergence as a vibrant economy and a vast market, its repository of human, scientific and technological knowledge, and its development and security related experience of over six decades, Khurshid said, "We believe that India can make deeper contributions to enrich the SCO process and contribute to its success."

India has been an observer at the SCO since 2005 and has generally participated at the ministerial-level at summits. SCO focusses on security and economic cooperation in the Eurasian space.

The precursor of the SCO was the "Shanghai Five" constituted by China in 1996 to address border security issues with four of its neighbours.

In its present form, SCO was founded at a summit in Shanghai in 2001 by the Presidents of Russia, China, Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

India, Iran and Pakistan were admitted as observers at the 2005 Astana Summit. The Tashkent SCO Summit in June 2010 lifted the moratorium on new membership, paving the way for expansion of the grouping.

Thanking the government and people of the Kyrgyz Republic for their "gracious hospitality and warm welcome", Khurshid said the SCO summit was taking place in "politically and economically turbulent times".

"The world economy is troubled. In times of globalisation, we know that growth can be restored only with collective efforts by creating more jobs, bringing in financial reforms and creating a conducive environment for business," he said.

"But this is more an occasion for us to celebrate the milestones which the SCO has crossed over the years, in addressing the security and developmental challenges of our common region."

India feels the SCO will need to continuously adapt to a changing world and reorient its objectives without diluting its original vision, Khurshid said.

Referring to India's association with the grouping as an observer since 2005, he said, "During this period, we have discovered a great degree of convergence with the SCO in underlying values, working principles and strategic ethos.

"India strongly believes in the philosophical principles guiding the SCO, like progress through consensus, decisions by constructive dialogue and strengthening mutual confidence, friendship and good neighbourly relations," he said.

"India is civilisationally linked to the ancient networks of the Silk Route which traversed the landmass occupied by the modern day SCO. These networks stimulated trans-continental development at the time, and also catalysed cultural linkages, clear evidence of which exist till today," Khurshid added.

"We therefore feel that SCO, among its other endeavours, should also focus on creating well-connected trade and investment corridors within the SCO region - with India, as in earlier times, adding value and content."

These connections, whether through rail, roads or pipelines, will help re-energise economies and bring people closer together, Khurshid said.